More #Leafs thought before the game… Sissons - Matthews - Nylander Cowan - Tavares - Marchenko McKenna - Paul - Roslovic Duhaime - Bleuger - Wood Is something I would like Toronto to try Sissons L1 is obviously goofy looking but I think it COULD work. He’s fast enough to keep up with Auston and Willy, he does the dirty work along the walls, and he’s a natural C which means he can take over some of the defensive mindset off Auston’s plate when they’re on the ice. Cowan - Tavares - Marchenko I’ve been a fan of whenever I see them together. Think there’s a perfect blend of speed, offensive zone play, grit along the walls and feistiness on the forecheck with this line. McKenna - Paul as a pairing I REALLY like, but haven’t loved the lack of finishing touch on that line with Sissons. Shelter Gavin a bit, keep him and Roslovic away from too many tough matchups but I think that line can work. Roslovic isn’t amazing in terms of winning puck battles but he uses his speed well to get to puck carriers quickly on the forecheck, and Paul has been very good as the 2nd guy in on puck battles. Add in Roslo’s clear comfort and preference to be a finisher rather than facilitator, Paul’s net front oriented game, and McKenna’s crafty playmaking and vision…. I think that line can work. 4th line hasn’t been inspiring but they’ve been fine and I’ve talked before about how I think Duhaime and Wood as a tandem on the forecheck would be very fun given their speed and edge.

I remember a lot of skepticism when I released my 2026 NHL Draft Guide & had future #NYR Alberts Smits as my #1 ranked D over Reid/Carels To me, it was a no-brainer. His game vs 🇺🇸 at the Olympics remains the most impressive single game performance I watched in the 25/26 season

Victor Eklund has ALWAYS been that dude, even since his D-1 U20 Nationell ✅ HockeyAllsvenskan ✅ SHL ✅ AHL ✅ NHL ✅ #Isles